Lehigh welcomes Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday night
11/30/2012 4:13:00 PM | Men's Basketball
BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Following a pair of games in Connecticut, the Lehigh men's basketball team returns home for two straight beginning Saturday when it welcomes Fairleigh Dickinson for a 7 p.m. tipoff. The Mountain Hawks are eying their fifth straight win overall and 10th straight over an NEC foe (dating back to 2010). A win would also give Lehigh head coach Brett Reed his 100th career win, making him the fastest in Patriot League history to 100 victories.
Reed would reach 100 in his 164th game, bettering Holy Cross' Ralph Willard who won number 100 in his 166th game. Reed would become the eighth coach in league history to reach the 100-win plateau.
Lehigh is riding high after four straight wins. Out of its five victories this season, four have come against teams who advanced to a national postseason tournament a season ago. The latest came Tuesday at Quinnipiac when senior C.J. McCollum scored 14 straight Lehigh points after the Mountain Hawks went down 62-61. That turned a tight game into an impressive 77-66 triumph, giving Lehigh its first-ever win at Quinnipiac.
After scoring five first-half points, McCollum scored 25 in the second (career high for most points in a half) to finish with 30, his third 30-point game of the season (most in the nation). That bumped his season scoring average to 26.3 which leads the nation. McCollum will be honored prior to Saturday's game in a special pregame recognition for breaking the Patriot League career scoring record. Classmate Gabe Knutson has excelled as well, posting 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists on Tuesday. He has scored 12 or more points in all six of his games this season and is shooting an impressive 57 percent from the field for the season (30-of-53).
Lehigh owns the Patriot League's leading offense, averaging 77.4 points per game, scoring 73 or more points in all but one game while eclipsing 82 on three occasions. Despite scoring just 11 points over the first 9:49 at Quinnipiac Tuesday, the Mountain Hawks exploded for 66 over the final 30:11, including 44 in the second half.
With a win Saturday, the Mountain Hawks would improve to 6-2 after eight games for a second straight season. It would be especially impressive considering last season's 6-2 start marked its best record after eight games since 1980-81 when it was 7-1.
Fairleigh Dickinson has already matched its win total from last season, winning three straight to enter Saturday's game with a 3-3 record. After dropping games to Xavier, Northwestern and Illinois State, the Knights have responded by beating Delaware State, Prairie View A&M and Saint Peter's to reach .500. Saturday marks FDU's first of two straight against Patriot League foes; the squad hosts Lafayette next Friday (Dec. 7). Five Knights are averaging double figures, led by Kinu Rochford (15.7), Melquan Bolding (14.8), Sekou Harris (13.5), Lonnie Robinson (11.5) and Mathias Seilund (10.7) are right behind. Bolding, Robinson and Mustafaa Jones have started all six games this season. Fairleigh Dickinson features four transfers; Yves Jules (Hofstra), Bolding (Duquesne), Robinson (Western Texas) and Jones (Hartford). Rochford leads the team averaging 9.3 rebounds per game while Robinson owns a team-leading 22 assists.
Lehigh leads the all-time series, 4-0, including a 72-61 win at Fairleigh Dickinson last November. The sides first met in 1976-77, a dominant 96-31 Lehigh victory. The teams played in consecutive seasons beginning during the 1980-81 campaign.
Lehigh remains home to host Fordham on Tuesday (7 p.mm.) before heading to Saint Francis (Pa.) next Saturday (Dec. 8).
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Individual and season tickets are on sale and may be purchased on Lehighsports.com, over the phone (610-758-4263) or in-person at Stabler Arena, Monday-through-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
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Date:
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December 1, 2012
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Opponent:
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Fairleigh Dickinson Knights
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Tip-off:
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7:00 PM
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Arena/Capacity:
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Stabler Arena/5,600
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Location:
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Bethlehem, Pa.
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Lehigh's Record:
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5-2 overall, 0-0 Patriot League
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Fairleigh Dickinson's Record:
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3-3, 0-0 NEC
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Series:
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Lehigh leads, 4-0
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Radio:
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Live on ESPN Radio 1230 and 1320 AM and Lehighsports.com with Matt Kerr and Greg Falkenbach '72. Pregame coverage gets underway at 6:30 PM
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Television:
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None
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Internet Video:
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Behind Enemy Lines:
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